Swaging machine



May 28, 1935.

H. A. DOUGLAS 2,002,502

SWAGING MACHINE Original Filed Dec. 15, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet l May 28, 1935.

H. A. DOUGLAS 2,002,502

SWAGING MACHINE Original 'Fiied Dec. 15, 1932 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 & m m

5 m w a i ['zz/erur g )3 fizrr CZ. Dozggi'czs Patented May 28, I935 UNITED STATES SWAGING MACHINE Harry A. Douglas, Bronson, Mich.

Application December 15, 1932, Serial 647,327 Renewed August 20, 1934 .15 Claims.

This invention relates to swaging machines, and among the objects of the invention are the provision of a swaging machine in the form of a hand swage operable by one hand. of a user, and the provision in a swaging machine of new and improved automatic means for limiting the pressure exerted upon the article.

The invention is of particular utility in its embodiment, as here illustrated, in a tool for swaging metallic terminal members to metallic electrical conductor means. A particular object of the invention is to provide an eflicient and convenient hand tool of this character for expeditiously and economically making couplings such as disclosed in my copending application for patent Serial No. 727,503, filed May 25, 1934. I The full objects and advantages of my invention will appear in connection with the detail description of the herein disclosed embodiment thereof and the novel features of my inventive concept will be particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specificatiom- Figure 1 is a plan view of a tool embodying my invention;

Figure 2 is a partial view similar to Figure 1, but showing a different operative position, parts being removed or shown in section to illustrate the internal construction;

Figure 31s a section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a view of the operating head on a somewhat larger scale with parts removed to .show the internal construction, taken on the line 4-4 of Figure 5;

Figure 5 is a section taken on the line 55 of Figurel; and 0 Figure 6 is a fragmentary section taken on the line 65 of Figure 4.

Referring in detail to the construction shown in the drawings, the illustrative tool includes an operating head I and operating handles 2 and 3. Thehead I may comprise a cylindrical housing 4 inwhich is centrally fixed a cylindrical carrier block 5, screws 6 passing through the housing and threadedly. received in"the"-block securing the housing. and block together. :The heads'of the screws 6 ,are. desirably countersunkto-befli sh with the outer surface of the cylinder 4:1 The face .8 01" thecarriage block 5has=a plurality of radial" grooveszfl, desirably more than two andf inthis instance-tour, .with fourradial grooves -'I rooves a e. advantageouslydiametrically ar-- ranged, nd ninetydegreesrapart, converging t a center common to the block and housing. In each of the grooves I is reciprocally received a jaw 9, each of, which desirably has a somewhat U- shape point l0- at its inner end and directed toward the common center. Each of the grooves 5 'I is laterally enlarged as best shown at H (Figs.

4 and 6) andeach of the jaws 9 carries a lateral projection I2 which moves in the lateral enlargement of the groove pressed upon by a relatively light coil spring I3 disposed in the lateral enlarge- 10 ment ll between the projection I2 and the inner .end of the enlargement. The enlargements l l are desirably of cylindrical shape to correspond with the shape of the coil springs l3 and provide a spring barrel therefor. The jaws 9 are received in the grooves 1 flush with the face 8 of the carrier block and the springs l3 normally maintain v, the jaws with their outer ends l4 projected radially beyond the periphery [5 of the carrier bloc};

5. For moving the jaws 9 inwardly against the 0 pressure of the springs I3, I provide a cylindrical annulus l6 snugly but rotatably received between the periphery l5 of the carrier block 5 and the internal surface of the housing 4. In a non-operative position of the annulus I6 the outer ends M of the jaws 9 are received in recesses I! in the internal periphery of the annulus l6, said outer ends being moved into said recesses by the Springs l3. When the annulus 6 is rotated by means later described, relatively to the carrier block 5,

cam surfaces I8 which merge into the surfaces of the recesses l1 engage the outer ends Id of the jaws and force the jaws inwardly and centripetally of the carrier block as shown in Figure 2. The outer ends of the jaws may be provided with 3 rollers H! to afford an anti-friction bearing between the jaws and the annulus.

"by the tool, such as the metallic terminal mem -ber 22, which is to be coupled with the metallic conductor 23. As shown in Figure 5, the conoidal tip "20 0f the terminal member 22 is passed .50

through acentral aperture 25. in the disc 2ll which aperture is'conceritricwith the common center "of the jaws 9. The walls "of the ap rture-:5 are tapered siinilarlyto' the taperof thetip' 24f 1:05

limit; the cit-tent o' insertion i of the ,.tio: there-' through to an extent such that the V-shape ends IU of the jaws engage the tip 24 near its extremity and thus, when forced inwardly as described, swage this tip and the tip 26 of the wire 23 to couple the terminal member and wire securely together. That is, as described in my copending application above referred to, the bore of the terminal member 22 which receives the wire 23 is sufficiently reduced in cross-sectional area by the jaws 9, as at 26c (Figure 2), to deform the wire 23 asat 26b, reducing it in crosssection and providing interengaging shoulders between the wire and the bore of the terminal.

To relatively rotate the housing 4 and annulus I6, I provide these members, as here shown, with integral lugs 21 and 28, respectively, which are radially projected in a common plane, the housing being slotted as at 29 to permit the lug 28 of the annulus to project therethrough and to move laterally therein as the annulus is rotated relatively to the housing. The operating handles 2 and 3 are the longer lever arms of levers 39 and 3| respectively, which are pivoted together in cross relation. The shorter lever arms 32 and 33 of the levers 30 and 3|, respectively, are here shown bifurcated. The lever arm 32 receives between its bifurcated ends the lug 21 of the housing 4 and is articulated therewith as by the screw bolt 34. Similarly, the lever arm 33 of the lever 3| receives between its bifurcations the lug 28 of the annulus l6 and is articulated thereto as by the screw bolt 35. Thus when the handles 2 and 3 are squeezed together, the annulus and housing are relatively rotated and the terminal member 22 and wire 23 compressed, as described. If the levers 30 and 3 I, however, were pivoted together upon the ordinary fixed pivot it would frequently happen that the operator would place too much or too little pressure upon the terminal which would produce either insufficient compression to effect a secure coupling or too great compression which might break the terminal or the wire or both. Consequently, in accordance with my invention I provide a pivot between the levers 30 and 3|, which is normally fixed with respect to each of the levers, but which is movable with respect to at least one of the levers to provide lost motion therebetween when a predetermined resistance is encountered by the jaws. I provide also a spring carried by one of the levers which resists this lost motion and the pressure of which is adjustable to predetermine the resistance at which the lost motion will come into play, thus limiting the pressure which may be placed by the operator upon the jaws and in turn upon the terminal.

In the present exemplifioation, the bifurcated ends of the levers 30 and 3| are intercalated as best shown in Figure 3 and the screw bolt 3611 passed therethrough securing the levers together and providing the pivot pin 36 therefor. The bifurcations 31, 31a of the lever 3| have the pivot holes 38, 38a therein which closely receive the pivot pin 36 .so that the pivot point is substantially fixed with respect to the lever 3|, while the bifurcations 39, 39a of the lever 39 have the relatively larger holes 49, 40a through which the pivot pin 36 loosely passes, the holes 38, 38a and 40, 40a being otherwise in register. A spring barrel 4| is disposed transversely of the levers 30 and 3| and has one end bifurcated with its bifurcations, 42, 42a. intercalated with the bifurcations of the levers and fixed to the bifurcations 39, 39a of the lever 30 as by a small rivet 43. The bifurcations 42, 42a have holes 44, 44a therein registering with the holes in the bifurcations of the levers and to receive the pivot pin 36 therethrough. The holes 44, 44a are only slightly smaller than the holes 49, 40a in the lever 39 to permit the spring barrel 4| to move with this lever with respect to the pivot pin, and, to enhance the attachment of the spring barrel to the lever 39, the margins 45, 45a; of the holes 44, 44a in the bifurcations of the spring barrel are shown laterally extended to form bushings in the holes 40, 49a. The holes 40, 40a are thus slightly reduced in diameter, but are still larger than the holes 38, 38a to permit movement of the pivot pin 36 with respect to the lever 30.

To resist this relative movement between the pivot pin and the lever 36, the spring barrel 4| houses a plunger 46 having a flattened portion 41 which is received between the bifurcations 42, 42a. At its free end, the portion 41 has an arcuately bottomed recess 48 which receives the pivot pin 36. The other end of the plunger is pressed upon by the relatively heavy helical compression spring 49 which is also housed in the spring barrel 4| between the plunger and a closure plug 56 for the spring barrel. The plug 59 is threadedly received in the spring barrel and desirably has a diametrical kerf 5| therein, whereby the plug may be advanced or :etracted by a screw-driver to adjust the pressure of the spring 49 on the plunger.

In the position of the parts shown in Figure 1, in which the jaws 9 are not exerting pressure, the arcuate bottom 48a of the recess 48 of. the plunger, together with the holes 38, 38a in the lever 3|, together form a seat for the pivot pin 36, which is normally fixed with respect to both the levers 30 and 3| by the spring pressure of the spring 49. At this time the pivot pin is substantially tangent with one side of the holes 44, 44a, as shown in Figure 1. When new the handles 2 and 3 are squeezed together by the operator and pressure placed upon a terminal 22 to swage it as described, and as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the pressure of the spring 49 is sufiicient, during the first part of this movement of the handles together to prevent movement of the pivot pin 36 with respect to the lever 30, so that all of the pressure exerted by the operator on the handles is transmitted to the jaws 9 and through the jaws to the terminal. When a predetermined amount of pressure has been thus placed on the jaws, as controlled by the adjustable plug 50, the spring 49 yields and any further pressure exerted by the operator on the handles is taken up by the spring 49 and isnot transmitted to the jaws 9. In other words, after the jaws 9 have moved together a given distance in response to the squeezing together of the handles 2 and 3, any further squeezing together of these-handles causes lost motion which is not transmitted to the jaws 9, but which instead tends to cause movement of thepivot pin 36 from one side of the holes 44, 44a, as shown in Figure 1, to the other side of these holes as shown in Figures 2 and 3. But since the spring 49 resists this lost motion, the pressure of. the spring may be so adjusted that the possible lost motion between the pivot pin and the lever is never entirely completed when a terminal is being acted upon and is offering resistance to the inward movement'of the jaws 9 and therefore no further pressure, beyond the predetermined pressure of the spring 49 above described, can be placed upon the terminal. The spring 49 thus limits the pressure which can be applied on the terminal.

having To expedite restoration of the handles 2 and 3 pivot pin therethrough; relatively larger holes in to outermost position when not in operation a conventional elliptic spring 52 may be interposed between the handles.

Obviously, the invention is not limited to the details of construction above described for purposes of illustration and furthermore it is not indispensable that all features of the invention be used conjointly as various combinations and sub-combinations may be advantageously employed; the disclosure herein is merely of one embodiment, for purposes of illustration, and my invention is not limited thereto.

Having described my invention, I claim:

1. In a hand swaging device, a pair of levers intercalated bifurcated ends; a pivot pin passing through said ends, one of the levers having holes receiving said pin closely therethrough and the other lever having relatively larger holes loosely receiving said pin, said holes being in register; a spring barrel transverse to the levers, said barrel having one end bifurcated and fixed to the bifurcations of the lever having the larger holes; holes in said bifurcated end of the spring barrel registering with the holes in the lever to which it is fixed; a plunger housed in said barrel, one end of the plunger having an arcuate recess therein receiving the pivot pin and together with the holes in the other lever providing a seat for the pin; and a spring compressed in the barrel and pressing upon the other end of the plunger to normally maintain the pivot point in fixed position with respect to both levers but yieldable to permit the pin to move with respect to one of the levers upon a predetermined resistance to relative movement thereof.

2. The structure of claim 1 wherein one end of the spring barrel is adjustable to regulate the pressure of the spring upon the plunger.

3. The structure of claim 1 wherein the levers are pivoted proximate one end of each leverto provide a pair of relatively short lever arms and a pair of relatively long lever arms, said long lever arms providing handles for the device and said short lever arms being operatively connected with a plurality of forging jaws, said jaws being forced toward each other when the short lever arms are moved together.

4. In a hand swaging machine, the combination of a cylindrical housing; a cylindrical block fixed centrally in said housing; four radial grooves in said block; an inwardly pointed jaw reciprocal in each groove and having its outer end projecting beyond the block; a lateral enlargernent of each groove; a spring in said lateral enlargement; a pin fixed to each jaw and reciprocal in the enlargement against the pressure of the spring; an annulus rotatable between the block and the housing, said annulus having internal cam recesses receiving the outer end of the jaws whereby rotation housing and block causes inward movement of the jaws; a radial lug integral with each of the housing and the annulus, said housing being slotted to pass the lug of the annulus therethrough; a pair of levers having intercalated bifurcated ends pivoted in crossed relationship by a pivot pin passing through said bifurcated ends proximate their extremities, the bifurcated extremity of one lever end receiving therebetween and. being articulated with the lug of the housing and the bifurcated extremity of the other lever end receiving therebetween and being articulated with the lug of the annulus; holes in the bifurcated end of one of the levers closely receiving the of the annulus relatively to the the bifurcated end of the other lever loosely receiving said pin, said holes being in register; a spring barrel transverse to the levers and having a bifurcated end fixed to the lever having the larger hole; holes in said bifurcated end of the spring barrelregistering with the holes in the levers; a plunger housed in said barrel, one end of said plunger having an arcuate recess receiving the pivot pin and together with the holes in the other lever providing a seat for the pin; a spring compressed in the barrel and pressing upon the other end of the plunger to maintain the pivot pin normally in fixed position with respect to both levers but yieldable to permit the pin to move with respect to the lever having the larger holes; and a disc closing the end of the cylinder opposite said block and having a central aperture therein concentric with the center about which the said jaws are arranged.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the spring in the spring barrel is compressed between the plunger and a plug forming a closure for the other end of the barrel and wherein said plug is threadedly received in said barrel to be adjustable to regulate the pressure of the spring on the plunger.

6. In a hand swaging device, a plurality of more than two pointed jaws directed toward a common center and radially movable, a rotatable annulus encircling the jaws and having internal cam surfaces engaging the outer ends of the jaws to move them simultaneously toward said center upon rotation of the annulus in one direction, spring means-individual to each jaw for moving the jaw outwardly of said center upon rotation of the annulus in the opposite direction, and means for rotating the annulus, said means comprising a pair of pivoted levers, one of said levers connected in operative relationship with the annulus and one with the jaws to cause relative rotation thereof, said levers pivoted together on a pivot movable with respect to one of the levers to permit lost motion therebetween and an adjustable spring carried by said lever resisting said movement.

'I. In a hand swaging device, a plurality of more than two jaws directed toward a common center, means for supporting and guiding said jaws, additional means for reciprocating said jaws, and operating means including a pair of levers each pivoted at one end to the respective supporting means and reciprocating means and pivoted intermediate. their length to each other, said intermediate pivot being movable with respect to one of the levers and resilient means resisting said movement.

8. In a hand operated device for swaging metallic terminals about metallic electrical conductors including a plurality of more than two jaws directed toward a common center, means for positioning a terminal containing the conductor at said common center, means for supporting and guiding said jaws, additional means for reciprocating said jaws, operating means to apply pressure upon the jaws to swage the terminal upon the conductor including a pair of levers pivoted intermediate their length to each other and pivoted at corresponding ends one upon the jaw supporting means and the other upon the jaw reciprocating means, said intermediate pivot providing a lost motion connection and adjustable means resisting said motion to apply a predetermined pressure upon the terminal.

9. swaging mechanism, comprising: a swaging element; means for transmitting force to said swaging element, including a lever; and means, for limiting the stress that may be put upon said swaging element, including, lost-motion pivot means pivoting said lever permitting lost motion of said lever, and means opposing such lost motion to prevent such lost motion untilthe force sought to be transmitted exceeds a predetermined maximum.

10. Swaging mechanism, comprising: a swaging element; means for transmitting force to said swaging element, including a lever; and means, for limiting the stress that may be put upon said swaging element, including, lost-motion pivot means pivoting said lever permitting lost motion of said lever, means opposing such lost motion, to prevent such lost motion'until the force sought to be transmittedrexceeds a predetermined maximum, and means determining the force at which said opposing means will tion, adjustable without of said lever.

11. Swaging mechanism, comprising: a swaging element; means for transmitting force to said swaging element, including a lever; and means, for limiting the stress that may be put upon said swaging element, including, lost-motion pivot means pivoting said lever permitting lost motion of said lever, and means opposing such lost motion, for preventing such lost motion until the force sought to be transmitted exceeds a predetermined maximum, capable of relieving onlyas permit such lost mochanging the position to force in excess of such predetermined maximum, and While relieving as to force in excess of such predetermined maximum, still operating to efifect transmission of force up to such predetermined maximum.

12. Swaging mechanism, comprising: a swaging element; means for transmitting force to said swaging element, including a lever; and means, for limiting the stress that may be put upon said swaging element, including, lost-motion pivot means pivoting said lever permitting lost motion of said lever, means opposing such lost motion, for preventing such lost motion until the force sought to be transmitted exceeds a predetermined maximum, capable of relieving onlyas to force in excess of such predetermined maximum, and while relieving as to force in excess of such predetermined maximum, still operating to eiTect transmission of force up to such predetermined maximum, and means determining the force at which said opposing means will permit such lost motion, adjustable without changing the position of said lever. v

13. A hand swage, comprising: a plurality of swaging elements; means operatively supporting said swaging elements, including a handle portion; means for transmitting force to said swaging elements, including a hand lever having a handle portion; said handle portions being disposed for operation by one hand of an operator, by contraction of the hand, in the nature of plier handles; and means, for limiting the stress that may be put upon said swaging elements, including, lost-motion pivot means fulcruming said lever p:rmitting lost motion of said lever, and means opposing such lost motion, to prevent such lost motion until the force sought to be transmitted exceeds a predetermined maximum.

14. A hand swage, efiective to swage a sleeve onto electrical conductor means, comprising: carrier means, leaving a space for reception of the conductor means and a sleeve assembled in relation to be swaged together; a plurality of inwardly directed dies, supported by said carrier means, spaced circumferentially about and relatively movable toward said space; actuating means, mounted for movement relative to said carrier means, and acting upon such movement in one direction to so move said dies to cause said dies to force the sleeve into the conductor means at a plurality of circumferentially spaced places; and operating means, including, a pair of lever handles, and mcans operatively'connecting one of said handles to said carrier means and the other of said handles to said actuating means; said swage comprising means fulcruming said handles to each other, for relative movement substantially in a single plane, operable by one hand of an operator by contraction of the hand, in the nature of plier handles, to effect said relative movement of said actuating means; whereby said swage may be carried and operated entirely by one hand of the operator.

15. A hand swage, eiTective to swage a sleeve onto electrical conductor means, comprising: carrier means, leaving a space for reception of the conductor means and a sleeve assembled in relation to be swaged together; a plurality of inwardly directed dies, support2d by said carrier means, spaced circumferentially about and relatively movable toward said space; actuating means, mounted for movement relative to said carrier means, and acting upon such movement in one direction to so move said dies to cause said dies to force the sleeve into the conductor means at a plurality of circumferentially spaced places; and operating means, including, a pair of lever handles, and means operatively connecting one of said handles to said carrier means and the other of said handles to said actuating means; said swage comprising means fulcruming said handles for relative movement substantially in a single plane, operable by one hand of an operator by contraction of the hand, in the nature of plier handles, to effect said relative movement of said actuating means; whereby said swage may be carried and operated entirely by one hand of the operator; said swage including lost-motion means p rmitting lost motion between said handles; and means opposing such lost motion, to prevent such lost motion until the force sought to be transmitted exceeds a predetermined maximum.

HARRY A. DOUGLAS. 

